Nike certainly has offices here. They used to share office space with my former employer before we expanded our brokerage services in Charlotte. Had to have gone somewhere. Might not be a bad place to stage a sit-in. (exaggeration)
If you guys can get any information, I think we should do something. Iām not sure if this applies to the ālocalā business, but I could probably find some buyer information for Dickās Sporting Goods. I should have enough contacts that would give me that information. They certainly have the ability to purchase for individual markets, they just need pressure.
Canāt the guy that works for Finish Line on here get a contact name from someone at his store? I know Finish Line would have a local rep.
I donāt know guys. Nike did not get where they are by being stupid. If they thought there was a viable market for Charlotte-logo apparel, they would tap it.
This board represents a great percentage of the market in question and I would speculate that many of the fans on this board would not spring for licensed nike apparel.
I tried to give away a Jobey bobblehead for free on this board, to whoever wanted it, and half the posters who inquired bitched because I asked them to mail me $5 for packaging and postage.
Pi, I donāt think this board represents a large percentage of the Charlotte market. A measurable percentage, probably, but not a large percentage.
I could be wrong, but I see more Charlotte apparrel out there than there are posters on this board, and I bet I have never seen most of the people on this board. My family owns Charlotte gear and they live in Winston-Salem. I donāt think weāre alone. :wacko:
I need a bobby lutz bobblehead it is the only one I donāt have, does anybody know where to get one? Maybe someone that wants him fired could just send me theirs.
[i]Originally posted by NinerAdvocate[/i]@Nov 30 2004, 07:41 PM [b] 2) contact the nike rep for our area. it seems like NinerAl had some experience with the And1 rep and perhaps he'd be willing to share how he got that person's name so we can follow the same avenue to get the Nike rep's name & phone #/email address, because frankly...[ [/b]
The Nike rep. that I was given by Nike was not even a company employee, he was some sort of distributor. He was a complete tool and treated Charlotte like we were a high school or some special order organization. They were going to customize their merchandise with our logo, not produce it like their other schools. Basically, I was going to have to buy $20K worth of gear to get 1 pc. from Nike that had our logo on it. And truthfully it was nothing we would have really wanted. It was like a basic plain pair of nike shorts with our logo on it, as an afterthought. Same with sweats, hats, etcā¦ I contacted Nike and was told this is who I had to go through. He blew me off on two meeting and didnāt show after I cleared my day (from my revenue making job) to be at the store.
I can promise no one will be satisfied with the merchandise if is produced this way as ācustomizedā vs. produced by NIKE with our logo in the production.
I also think the 21% increase in wholesale sales that Jo mentioned had more to do with the change to the new logo than anything else. It just so happened that it came to market right after the end of the season. I think the new logo is awesome and has so much potential if it were properly marketed.
My 2 centsā¦a long way to say that I threw the NIke contactās info. away and have no idea how to contact them. I got the AND1 guys name from Coach Lutz. And dealing with them is a whole 'nother story.
[i]Originally posted by LeftyNiner+Nov 30 2004, 01:46 PM-->
[b]QUOTE[/b] (LeftyNiner @ Nov 30 2004, 01:46 PM)
where is grayās ? Isnāt real close to campus?
NinerAl you rolling in tomorrow night for the game?
[i]Originally posted by C49er[/i]@Nov 30 2004, 08:53 PM [b] Pi, I don't think this board represents a large percentage of the Charlotte market. A measurable percentage, probably, but not a large percentage.I could be wrong, but I see more Charlotte apparrel out there than there are posters on this board, and I bet I have never seen most of the people on this board. My family owns Charlotte gear and they live in Winston-Salem. I donāt think weāre alone. :wacko: [/b]
A lot of people do own āNiner Gearā but licensed Nike gear is a different story. These are not $10 T shirts and $25 sweatshirts. It is more like $50 and up for almost anything. Big difference. Would you buy the wife and kids $70 game jerseys or $50 Nike sweatshirts?
[i]Originally posted by JKniner[/i]@Nov 30 2004, 09:36 PM [b] where is gray's ? Isn't real close to campus?NinerAl you rolling in tomorrow night for the game? [/b]
Grayās doesnāt carry a lot of the āCharlotte 49ersā only logo gear, they carry mostly UNC Charlotte stuff. A manager there once told me it was because they cater more to the edcucational aspect of the school, which is UNC Charlotte, because that is why the majority of the students are there. They sell a lot of gear to parents who are making their checks out to UNC Charlotte, not Charlotte 49er athletics.
[i]Originally posted by 49erpi[/i]@Nov 30 2004, 11:02 PM [b] Gray's doesn't carry a lot of the "Charlotte 49ers" only logo gear, they carry mostly UNC Charlotte stuff. A manager there once told me it was because they cater more to the edcucational aspect of the school, which is UNC Charlotte, because that is why the majority of the students are there. They sell a lot of gear to parents who are making their checks out to UNC Charlotte, not Charlotte 49er athletics. [/b]Charlotte 49er or UNC Charlotte really shouldn't matter. As long as it is green and gold and not power blue and white or red and white or black and gold.
[i]Originally posted by 49erpi+Nov 30 2004, 11:02 PM-->
[b]QUOTE[/b] (49erpi @ Nov 30 2004, 11:02 PM)
[i]Originally posted by 49erpi[/i]@Nov 30 2004, 10:58 PM [b] A lot of people do own "Niner Gear" but licensed Nike gear is a different story. These are not $10 T shirts and $25 sweatshirts. It is more like $50 and up for almost anything. Big difference. Would you buy the wife and kids $70 game jerseys or $50 Nike sweatshirts? [/b]Yep. I already have paid for it. It's just so hard to find, and the quality is hit or miss. I dont mind spending the dough on quality gear that will last several seasons.
I have the advantage(?) of also being a fan of one of college sportās marketing powerhouses - UT. Let me put it this way - if you make it, they will come. I am not kidding at all. UT has been an Adidas school for several years. Routinely on gameday, I will be on the strip in Knoxville and see a new shirt, hat, etc. and insantly be aware of it. In both casual conversation at a game, or in a store, you will hear fans asking if a certain item is carried, and itās usally āthat new hat with theā¦so and soā, or āa shirt like I saw at the gameā. The point being is that customers are accutely aware of this stuff, moreso than most will believe.
Given that UTās fan base is much more conditioned to spending large amounts of $$ on this stuff, but the market itself is self fulfilling. When you, as a fan, see some logo gear that looks good on someone else, youāll want one too. We just have to start on a smaller scale & build it up to that level.
[i]Originally posted by NinerAl[/i]@Nov 30 2004, 10:26 PM [b] The Nike rep. that I was given by Nike was not even a company employee, he was some sort of distributor. He was a complete tool and treated Charlotte like we were a high school or some special order organization. [/b]Thanks for the answer.
This seems like our point of attack right here. One store owner griping about a lousy distributor wasnāt enough to get Nikeās attention, but a constant barrage from a group of our fans to get some real attention and a real rep might do the trick.
IMHO, this is where we need to start.
[i]Originally posted by NinerAdvocate+Dec 1 2004, 08:48 AM-->
[b]QUOTE[/b] (NinerAdvocate @ Dec 1 2004, 08:48 AM)
clt would spend some dough for good looking gear. $ 50 for replica bball shorts? no problem. money aint a thang but a chicken wang.
[i]Originally posted by 49erpi[/i]@Dec 1 2004, 10:31 AM [b]NA, you really can't compare the UT and Charlotte fan base. It's apples and oranges (no pun intended). You are talking about a school much larger and older than us with a rich football tradition.[/b]
Yes, which is why I said this:
[b]We just have to start on a smaller scale & build it up to that level. [/b]
UT fans have hundreds, possibly even thousands of items to choose from. Start smaller with us. Two hats, One shirt, one replica jersey. Weāll suffer from a lack of variety, but thatās a compromise most will make at first.
[b] They get 110,000 for football games where we struggle to put 5000 in Halton.[/b]
Umm no. I know you love to argue the pessimistic side, but UT gets 100k for 90% of their games. 110 is overstating things. Similarly, we donāt struggle to put 5k in Halton, we struggle to sell it out. 5k is easy. The point being, there is a solid, albeit smaller fan base out there. You just have to market it properly instead of being lazy and totally ignoring it. Most big markets were at one time niche markets that grew when they were properly developed. Asking Niner fans to buy the crap they are shown now is not going to cut it. Letās start by improving the quality and cashing in the license.
[b]This board represents the most rabid Charlotte fans and I would bet that most on this board would not spend $70 on a nike game shirt or $30 on a nike charlotte hat.[/b]
Why donāt we let the board decide that, instead of letting you decide for them? I think our fans deserve at least that much respect. Would be nice to show it to them for a change.
Do they carry Tarheel hats so gamer can get a nice new one for the 49er games?
Could we get someone to infiltrate the locals gangs and get them wearing niner gear, then maybe nike will pay attention to us.